Sharp has quietly gone about the business of having one of the best LCD-based HDTVs in the business, and its latest 37-inch set stays true to that pedigree. The Sharp Aquos LC-37G4U offers an external video-processing box that houses all of the Aquos's video and audio connections, as well as a cable with three connectors that goes into the panel. The unit also requires a power connection, but these two cables are all it needs to accommodate a large number of inputs.

The panel offers some of the most granular image-quality controls around, but even with all those knobs and levers, these controls are very easy to use. A Reset to Defaults option takes you back to factory defaults in case you need to start over. The longish remote can control four other devices, and it makes navigating Sharp's very detailed menu system easy. It doesn't have individual buttons for each of the inputs, but you're given a list of selectable inputs to choose from easily.

A light sensor dynamically adjusts picture settings depending on the amount of ambient light present in the room. If the lights are turned off, the Aquos will dial down the brightness a bit and even make some color adjustments. A PC Card slot lets you plug in a card reader and present slide shows of your digital photos.

Out of the box, the Aquos delivered vivid colors and bright images, both on HDTV and DVD content. Requiring very little color, brightness, and contrast adjustment, it fared well against all other LCD panels. It even stacked up well against the big plasma panels in all areas except one.

Its dark levels and dark-scene detail were the best of the LCDs, but like all LCD-based panels, the Aquos doesn't do as well as the plasma-based displays in this area. The panel's native pixel resolution is Wide XGA (1,366-by-768), meaning it scales 720p or 1080i HDTV content to the native resolution. We found that the Aquos's video processor did a very good job of keeping images sharp without exaggerating edge details.

The Sharp Aquos LC-37G4U does LCD about as well as it can be done, and its image quality coupled with its slender form makes it one of the better panels available today.